Objectives:

Inform parents about our programming and educational tools

Familiarize with other families Split into appropriate rooms to discuss

any further points about individual children

•The Early Years Learning Framework is part of the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) reform agenda for early childhood education and care and is a key component of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care.

• The Early Years Learning Framework has been developed collaboratively by the Australian and State and Territory Governments with substantial input from the early childhood sector and early childhood academics

•It was developed in order to provide a nationally consistent and high quality program for children within group or individual settings.

•Places strong emphasis on play-based learning.

•Recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development.

•Highlights the importance of family input to the program to ensure that individual children’s interests and needs are met.

•Made up of the principles, practice and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school.

EYLF – Belonging, Being & Becoming

Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships

Partnerships – Between families, centre staff, & the community

High expectations and equity

Respect for diversity – in relation to gender, race, religion, beliefs or sexuality

Ongoing learning and reflective practice – for children, families and teachers

The key components include:

adopting holistic approaches being responsive to children planning and implementing learning

through play intentional teaching creating physical and social learning

environments that have a positive impact on children’s learning

valuing the cultural and social contexts of children and their families

providing for continuity in experiences and enabling children to have successful transition

assessing and monitoring children’s learning to inform provision and to support children in achieving learning outcomes.

There are many teaching practices that our educators use to support children’s learning and development:

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators

The EYLF Framework outlines 5 learning outcomes for supporting children’s developing holistic skills:

Play is a context for learning that:

allows for the expression of personality and uniqueness enhances dispositions such as curiosity and creativity enables children to make connections between prior experiences

and new learning assists children to develop relationships and concepts stimulates a sense of wellbeing.

We have a range of tools that we use to document assess, plan and evaluate children’s learning and development. Each room has their own program!

Daily Parent Communication Diary

Monthly Program

Family inputObservations

Interest Wall

Learning Stories

Our centre philosophy is based on free play learning activities that link to children’s individual interests.

The interest wall contains observations about children’s individual and group interests, the activities we have planned to extend these interests, and the conversations/scenarios that arise from creating interest based areas.

You may also find information about specific interests posted on the walls of your child’s class room near the interest areas.

Please note that we are no longer working on a day book documentation system and our observations are all focused in interest groups.

Our program relies heavily on input from families to keep the activities fresh and exciting.

Although we observe many developing interests constantly, we do not get to see the experiences you have at home and we believe these moments are precious and should be celebrated!

Shoushan has emailed forms out to families so that all can easily access and bring in new information for us all of the time.

These forms can be filled out by siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents...anyone who has shared time with your child involved in something wonderful.

Learning stories may be found posted on the walls in interest areas of your child’s room. These stories tell the background of experiences we explore, the learning that takes place, and the interactions we have with our peers, community or environment.

This has the entire groups interests, extensions and planned activities documented. The program rolls over a monthly cycle. The program revolves largely around what information you provide to the teachers about your child’s experiences at home. Teachers then add extensions for learning opportunities that link to these home experiences.

An observation is essentially an individual documentation (sometimes accompanied by photograph) of a specific action or scenario of a specific child or children that has taken place.

Teachers collect a series of observations of your child throughout the year to organise what activities they will provide for your child to explore.

Here you will find your child’s portfolio which contains individual information about your child’s learning at the centre. On the shelf you will also find teacher reflections, and past program information. You can access articles about children’s learning and development, and you can also retrieve forms for medication. Please ask if you need any assistance.

Portfolios are in the midst of being built electronically and so please bear with us while we are getting this function up and running. In the long term it will mean that you can access your child’s portfolio online any day, any time!

Parent Information Space

Please ensure you are changing your child’s nappy or taking them to the toilet on arrival every day as this helps with the settling process and allows carers to be readily available to settle children.

Please label all clothing as items can easily be mixed up

Signing in and out is extremely important, please do so every day

Please remember to bring a top and bottom bed sheet for your child’s week at the centre

Please provide at least 2 changes of clothes on each day of attendance

We use EYLF as our base for guiding children’s learning

We use a variety of observation tools to discover children’s interests

We have many means for documenting holistic learning experiences